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How to get live filters back in Instagram on the iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 8, 2016

Intstagram pulled a Skitch with yesterday's update in that the company has removed live filters from the iPhone 5. As Instagram fans could tell you, the live previewing feature is pretty popular because it lets you quickly apply Instagram's trademark photo filters right before hitting the shutter button, so you can see what the photo being taken would look like with the desired effect.

Though Instagram confirmed that live filters will be phased out from both the iOS and Android apps, developers left a stealthy workaround in place to re-enable live previewing on the iPhone 5...

China approves WCDMA and CDMA iPhone 5

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

The iPhone 5 has overcome its last significant regulatory hurdle for approval in China. Two models of the new iPhone received approval from the China Compulsory Certificate (or 3C), allowing China Unicom and China Telecom to sell the Apple smartphone by the end of 2012, CNET reports...

Google Play Store: 675,000 apps, 25 billion downloads

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 26, 2012

Google is creeping up on Apple, announcing yesterday on its Android blog that its Play Store now has 675,000 apps which have been downloaded 25 billion times. It was just recently that Google bragged about half a billion cumulative Android activations and on September 5 the search Goliath announced it was activating 70,000 tablets and 1.3 million Android devices each day.

At this rate, Google should have no trouble surpassing Apple's platform by year's end. By comparison, Apple's App Store carried over 750,000 apps and the company sold a total of 425 million iOS devices, as of September 12. The iPhone maker said earlier at WWDC that customers downloaded over 30 billion apps as of June...

Jonathan Mann wishes Siri a happy birthday

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 26, 2012

Musician and songwriter Jonathan Mann made a name for himself by writing a song a day and sharing it on YouTube. He's been doing it for over a thousand days straight, every single day. The song-a-day man scored big with fans of Apple when he posted the amusing Antennasong on the eve of Apple's hastily organized presser two years ago to deal with the aftermath of the iPhone 4 antenna debacle.

Steve Jobs even played that song to kick off the presser. And now, John's back with a new song celebrating Siri's first birthday, though nine days early. More clips right after the break...

Apple’s marketing honcho on Scuffgate: scratches are normal

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 25, 2012

Phil Schiller, SVP of Worldwide Marketing, is also known as steward of Apple's relationship with app developers. Increasingly, Schiller is becoming the public face of Apple, which shouldn't come as a surprise given how he "channeled Jobs’s perspective so consistently”, according to a Businessweek profile.

Schiller was the guy who told us why the iPhone 5 doesn't have NFC, he also lowered expectations that the Passbook app would become an e-wallet solution and reminded us of the Apple way of doing things.

And now, Apple has dispatched its marketing honcho to help alleviate growing concerns that the iPhone 5 is susceptible to scratches and scuffs due to its anodized aluminum surface being only skin deep...

The iPhone 5 user guide, now in iBookstore

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 28, 2017

Apple's user manual entitled The iPhone User Guide for iOS 6 was released as a downloadable PDF document four days ago, but it wasn't immediately available via the iBookstore. The 155-page document is meant to help new users get acquainted with the iPhone 5 and iOS 6. And now, it is available as a free e-book on the iBookstore so those that prefer electronic books optimized for iOS devices - as opposed to importing and reading PDFs in the iBooks app - are advised to download this handy guide...

DisplayMate: the iPhone 5 has the best smartphone display

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 25, 2012

Display experts DisplayMate put the iPhone 5 display through its paces and walked away pretty impressed, ranking it the best smartphone display they have ever tested. A lengthy analysis confirms that Apple improved upon pretty much every aspect of the iPhone 4/4S display. No longer are colors undersaturated and brightness doesn't drop as much when looking at the iPhone 5 from side.

Moreover, the display on the iPhone 5 has excellent calibration plus accurate color and contrast. Overall, DisplayMate rates the iPhone 5 display as "A" versus "A-" for the iPhone 4 and "B+" for the Galaxy SIII...

Eric Schmidt: a Google Maps app is up to Apple

Cody Lee ∙ September 25, 2012

As Apple continues to take heat over its new mapping software, the question on everyone's mind seems to be: will Google release a standalone Maps app for iOS? It's a fair question, considering it recently published a YouTube app for the platform.

But a report that surfaced last week claiming Google had already submitted a Maps app to Apple and was awaiting approval was quickly debunked. And Eric Schmidt himself confirmed yesterday that his company hasn't made a move yet...

Consumer Reports gives iPhone 5 a thumbs-up

Cody Lee ∙ September 24, 2012

Consumer Reports is an 80+ year-old American magazine that publishes reviews and opinions on new consumer products and services. It's physical publication has more than 7 million monthly subscribers and is highly regarded among shoppers.

The magazine has quite a history with Apple, once giving the iPhone 4 a "cannot recommend status," back in 2010, and then sensationalizing the iPad 3's overheating issue earlier this year. But as it turns out, it actually really likes the iPhone 5...

AuthenTec tells clients to buy fingerprint sensors elsewhere in 2013

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Earlier in the summer, smart sensor maker AuthenTec agreed to be bought by Apple for $356 million. Still pending approval, the transactions left even the seasoned watchers scratching their head.

People began wondering whether Cupertino might leverage AuthenTec's fingerprint sensors to bolster enterprise security in iOS devices. Or, perhaps, Apple was keen on tapping AuthenTec's sensors to add consumer features to iPhones, iPods and iPads, the stuff like finger-based unlock or a secure e-wallet service.

The deal remains shrouded in a veil of secrecy because Apple isn't talking much and neither is AuthenTec. A report out this morning claims that AuthenTec's current clients are "in a state of panic" as the company is telling them it will stop offering its technology and NFC/fingerprint sensors as of next year...

Verizon iPhone 5 to stay unlocked due to FCC agreements

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Last week, we discovered that the Verizon version of the iPhone 5 comes with an unlocked SIM slot. Our very own Jeff confirmed the theory by using his VZW handset to connect to AT&T's GSM network.

While this was obviously great news, we were worried that things wouldn't stay this way because carriers don't generally like unlocked phones. But according to a new report, Verizon may not have a choice...

iPhone 5 personal pickup live after 10pm tonight

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Strong demand and five million sales (perhaps even more) during the opening weekend continue to put a strain on the initial iPhone 5 supply. If you're in the market for an iPhone 5 and are an avid Apple fan, there's a reasonable chance you'll want to waltz inside one of Cupertino's shiny retail shrines. After all, a new iPhone is a once-in-a-year event so why not treat yourself to that talked-about buying and ownership experience, right?

The problem is, the iPhone 5 is hard to come by at the moment, even as Apple is regularly stocking stores. Luckily, there's now a better way of buying the sought-after device involving a simple online pre-reservation for in-store pickup the following day...